John Cridland, a 28-year veteran of the Confederation of British Industry, pledged to knock down "roadblocks to growth" today as he was appointed director general of the UK's biggest business association.

Cridland, who will take up the £310,000-a-year position when Richard Lambert steps down at the end of January, is currently deputy director general, having been passed over for the top job the last time it was available, five years ago.

Setting out his stall, Cridland said "business matters now as never before" as he emphasised the importance of working to rebuild Britain's energy infrastructure, reduce carbon emissions, increase investment in innovation and address shortages of skilled scientists, engineers and workers in technology.

He added that the reputation of business among the general public was not as high as it should be and that he would help to promote commerce.

"There are many challenges ahead in getting the economy growing and no one thinks that securing the UK's economic future will be easy. But business people across the country are rolling up their sleeves and getting on with the job," Cridland said.

Cridland's appointment was generally welcomed as heavyweight business figures, such as HSBC chairman Stephen Green and James Smith, chairman of Shell UK, lined up to back his appointment.

Justin King, chief executive at J Sainsbury, said: "I've known John for as long as I've been involved with the CBI and am delighted to see him step up to the top job … at this particularly challenging time."

However, Cridland's hardline stance on strikes is likely to put him on a collision course with the unions. He has led the CBI's calls to toughen strike laws through measures such as raising the ballot threshold as the country braces itself for a wave of strikes in response to the government's spending cuts.

Bob Crow, general secretary at the RMT union, said: "The appointment does reflect a very clear statement of intent on the part of employers' organisations to develop and continue the hostile agenda towards trade unions and trade union employees rights – including the human right to strike."

Cridland will need to build a strong working relationship with Vince Cable, the business secretary, and George Osborne, the chancellor, and has the advantage of already being well-known in government circles.

Cable welcomed Cridland's appointment, saying he is "highly respected by both government and the business community and I look forward to working closely with him". However, while Cable has been openly critical about the size of executive bonuses, Cridland stopped short of such condemnation today when pressed on the subject.

"The important point is that shareholders and other stakeholders can see that the bonus has been earned – that the money has been paid for added value," he said.

Cridland also appeared unenthusiastic about Cable's proposals to make takeovers more difficult in the wake of the controversial takeover of the British chocolate manufacturer Cadbury by the US's Kraft Foods.

Cridland said that "the UK is open for business … and not in the market for protectionism of any sort. We don't want to artificially protect British business from foreign ownership."

Cridland, the first internally appointed director general in the CBI's 45-year history, said he was optimistic that the government had listened to the confederation's case on immigration and would prioritise intra-company transfers and Tier 2 visas for migrants with job offers.

Cridland was selected from a list of 45 candidates and was the CBI's first choice.